Although researchers have investigated quality and cost of residential care, little is known about the people who own and manage residential care facilities. In an attempt to find out more about these managers, members of the National Association of Residential Care Facilities (NARCF) were surveyed. Members (N=175) responded to questionnaires asking about their background, perceived training needs, motivations, supervisory style, stress, and job satisfaction. Results showed that approximately one-third of the respondents chose the field because of a love of older people. More than one-half had college degrees, with about 40% having had coursework in geriatrics. Respondents reported an average work week of over 58 hours. Respondents exhibited a high rate of job satisfaction, with over 94% reporting they liked their jobs. Twenty-seven percent reported feeling stress all or most of the time. The most used coping mechanisms were concentrating on what had to be done next and keeping one's feelings from interfering with other things too much. Respondents scored slightly above the mean on a warmth of personality scale. Respondents exhibited a wide range of leisure time activities. Future work in this area will examine in more detail personality characteristics of the managers, differences as a function of type and size of the facility, and gender differences among managers. (ABL)